Malia wrote:I completely and viscerally comprehend where Collins is coming from (at least on one level!). You fall right into a new sense of the *person* when you are in the presence of a manuscript. I remember how my heart ached when I read Keats's letter to Mrs. Brawne from on board the Maria Crowther--and the tiny cramped scrawl of his closing post script "Good Bye Fanny! God Bless you!" The words nearly trailed off into nothingness at the end--I could feel the immense weight of despair and exhaustion Keats must have experienced at that moment.

I too liked this Cybele. I haven't seen his manuscripts in front of me but online- I feel as you do this looking at the photo of his letter to Mrs Brawne Malia ( they have it on the Keats House website). I hope this is still in the house- would love to see it.

John....you did not live to see-who we are because of what you left,what it is we are in what we make of you.Peter Sanson, 1995.

Raphael, unfortunately *no* Keats manuscripts are currently available at Keats House. They moved them out due to the fact that they were starting to deteriorate. There were some facsimiles (but none of anything in Keats's handwriting that I could remember). It was a real shame not to see them--it was the highlight of my first trip to Keats House in '95.

Malia wrote:Raphael, unfortunately *no* Keats manuscripts are currently available at Keats House. They moved them out due to the fact that they were starting to deteriorate. There were some facsimiles (but none of anything in Keats's handwriting that I could remember). It was a real shame not to see them--it was the highlight of my first trip to Keats House in '95.

Oh how I wish I had thought to go to his house when I lived in London in 2004! It's a bit misleading to have the letters on the website- people will go expecting to see them. Is not even his book with Bright Star written in it there?Where are the letters they had at the house now? I suppose they are at some conservation place being treated? I'm not surprised they are a bit fragile as they passed many hands since he wrote them.

John....you did not live to see-who we are because of what you left,what it is we are in what we make of you.Peter Sanson, 1995.

Malia wrote:Raphael, unfortunately *no* Keats manuscripts are currently available at Keats House. They moved them out due to the fact that they were starting to deteriorate. There were some facsimiles (but none of anything in Keats's handwriting that I could remember). It was a real shame not to see them--it was the highlight of my first trip to Keats House in '95.

I've so wanted to see at least one manuscript "in person" for years. How disappointing!

A visit to the Keats House has been on my bucket list for over 20 years. Every time we make plans to visit the UK something happens.

Phooey.

"The philosopher proves that the philosopher exists. The poet merely enjoys existence."Wallace Stevens

[quote]Malia wrote:I completely and viscerally comprehend where Collins is coming from (at least on one level!). You fall right into a new sense of the *person* when you are in the presence of a manuscript. I remember how my heart ached when I read Keats's letter to Mrs. Brawne from on board the Maria Crowther--and the tiny cramped scrawl of his closing post script "Good Bye Fanny! God Bless you!" The words nearly trailed off into nothingness at the end--I could feel the immense weight of despair and exhaustion Keats must have experienced at that moment./quote]How beautifully expressed, Malia.

Are there not some autographed manuscripts in the Harvard University Library? I thought I had read somewhere that Harvard has quite a large collection of Keatsiana -- more than The House in Hampstead. Probably because Amy Lowell and the eccentric F. Holland Day bought everything Keats related they could get their hands (and money) on, and then willed all (or most) to Harvard upon their deaths! But I could be wrong . . .

"But if you will fully love me, though there may be some fire, 'twill not be more than we can bear when moistened and bedewed with Pleasures." JK to FB 08.07.1819

Hi Ennis and welcome, by the way! I'm kind of late to the party, here . . .although I have been lurking and enjoying the great posts these last few days Yes, Harvard has a great collection of Keats's papers. Keats's link to America is very strong and I will dare to say that Keats' fame *began* in earnest in America with the PR work of George Keats. We Americans just love Keats. (Well, this American does, anyway! hehe)

Indeed we owe a lot to George and you Americans for keeping the Keatsian flame alive. A question has just popped into my head, and I don't know if anyone can answer it; Did George and Georgiana become American citizens or did they remain British to the end, or become naturalized citizens?

I've been reading your posts for what seems like years now and I feel as if I really know you guys!! Malia, this (unfortunate) American loves Keats as well, and has for more years than I care to admit!Saturn, I'm not sure about the George Keats's citizenship question. I don't recall ever reading anything about that in all the stuff about Keats I've read over the many years, but it is a good question. Hopefully, they both retained their British citizenship! Georgiana remarried Jeffries, a Scotsman who may have been an American citizen, and if so, wouldn't that make her an American citizen, as well? Jeez, you would think I should know THAT, considering I'm an American!

"But if you will fully love me, though there may be some fire, 'twill not be more than we can bear when moistened and bedewed with Pleasures." JK to FB 08.07.1819

Ennis wrote:Are there not some autographed manuscripts in the Harvard University Library? I thought I had read somewhere that Harvard has quite a large collection of Keatsiana -- more than The House in Hampstead. Probably because Amy Lowell and the eccentric F. Holland Day bought everything Keats related they could get their hands (and money) on, and then willed all (or most) to Harvard upon their deaths! But I could be wrong . . .

You're right, Ennis. Harvard has many manuscripts. Amy Lowell and Day passed along many, but there was also something called the "Speed Bequest." I've tried to find more about this (other than the fact that it exists) but my searches have come up blank. I asked about it at the Speed House/Farmington, in Louisville, and was treated like some eccentric middle-aged person. (I take offense! I am now an eccentric old person! ) I assume that this was through descendants of Emma Keats Speed, but I haven't been able to find out for certain if this is the case.

James Freeman Clarke also gave some Keats papers and memorabilia to Harvard. He'd received these from George Keats, who was a dear friend.

Yes -- I believe Harvard has *lots*!

In other words, I'd be willing to bet that there is as much, or more, in the way of Keats manuscripts on this side of the pond than the other.

"The philosopher proves that the philosopher exists. The poet merely enjoys existence."Wallace Stevens

Saturn wrote:Indeed we owe a lot to George and you Americans for keeping the Keatsian flame alive. A question has just popped into my head, and I don't know if anyone can answer it; Did George and Georgiana become American citizens or did they remain British to the end, or become naturalized citizens?

Great for you Cybele! I am happy for you - and it sounds like something I would do (if I were alone without the family!). Have a good time. I look forward to hearing from you.

"Come... dry your eyes, for you are life, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg; the clay in which the forces that shape all things leave their fingerprints most clearly. Dry your eyes... and let's go home."

Saturn wrote:Indeed we owe a lot to George and you Americans for keeping the Keatsian flame alive. A question has just popped into my head, and I don't know if anyone can answer it; Did George and Georgiana become American citizens or did they remain British to the end, or become naturalized citizens?

While I was in Louisville this week, I spent the better part of a day at the Filson Club, where I read an unpublished thesis by Naomi Kirk. (I'd tried unsuccessfully for years to get a copy of this!)

According to Kirk, George served on city council for four years -- something he would have been unlikely to do had he not been a citizen.

According to my husband, a history buff, becoming a US citizen in the early 19th century was much simpler than it is now. One had only to declare his intentions before a judge, and a matter of months later the immigrant could be sworn in as a citizen. (This procedure may have varied from place to place -- but Louisville was the "Wild West" at that time and the government was actively encouraging settlement.)

BTW, I had a great time that afternoon -- but I'll have to go back and edit one of my previous postings because I had a *lot* of stuff wrong about George and his family.

"The philosopher proves that the philosopher exists. The poet merely enjoys existence."Wallace Stevens

I emailed the Athenaeum of Ohio (http://www.athenaeum.edu/) to see if I would be allowed to take photos of "Christ's Entry into Jerusalem". Not only was I allowed to do so, but the director of the library was extremely gracious, made sure that the lights were turned on in the atrium, etc.

Here are my photos. The painting, itself, is in quite good condition, considering its well-traveled "life." It looked to me like the varnish used on it might be a bit yellowed -- but this could also be because of the ambient light in the atrium.

Here is the detail of the painting that we're all interested in:

Last edited by Cybele on Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:32 pm, edited 5 times in total.

"The philosopher proves that the philosopher exists. The poet merely enjoys existence."Wallace Stevens